A logo is just a small part of a brand, but it plays an important part in representing as much as possible about that brand as succinctly and effectively as possible. It’s communication and it’s identification. It’s often the first presence of a business, and this entire process is the restructuring of my business to incorporate several new changes. My logo for Kofifernweh was expertly designed by White Seal Graphics and is bespoke to my requirements. I wanted to include certain elements that represent me and my business, and here’s why: -

Compass

The compass symbolises motivation. It helps to show us the way to follow our path. Throughout history, north has been a symbol for progress and conversely, south has been a symbol for things going wrong. The inspiration offered by a compass, along with its guidance and its mathematical beauty, make it a perfect symbol of hope, independence, balance, and progress. I have a compass tattoo on my left wrist for this reason and it’s a perfect element of the Kofifernweh logo.

Vegvisir

The Vegvisir is a symbol from an early Icelandic magical manuscript which helps us to find our way when we’re lost. The symbol is described in only one modern Icelandic collection of spells named the Huld manuscript, compiled during the nineteenth century. This is eight centuries after the end of the Viking Age and therefore it carries an element of mystery – we don’t actually know whether the Vikings knew about it at all. In the Huld manuscript the word used, Vegvesir, translates to ‘that which shows the way’ in Icelandic, which is a language almost identical to its origin Viking language that Icelanders can often read and understand Viking script. The Huld manuscript has nothing more than this one sentence to say about the Vegvisir: -

If this sign is carried, one will never lose one’s way in storms of bad weather, even when the way is not known

Mountains

When the question inevitably arises, ‘do you prefer the beach or the mountains?’ my answer is always the mountains. A mountain is a beheamouth symbol of stillness and a state of absolute consciousness. Conquering a mountain represents overcoming obstacles and making progress, making us better in the process and rising mentally to the challenges we face.

Aperture leaves

The last element of my logo is the aperture leaves. The leaves inside the camera that control the amount of light allowed to enter represent my attempt to show the world in the way I see it.

The best thing about all of this is that I didn’t design it. If I had, it would look terrible! I had all these ideas floating around of what the logo should include and represent, then I gave the ideas to someone who knows exaclty what they’re doing when it comes to graphic design - Kimberly Richardson, of White Seal Graphics in California. She did an amazing job of taking all the little things in my mind and turning them into something visually awesome, and for that I am forever in her debt. The relationship continues beyond a logo, fortunately, and there’ll be some cool merch going forward.

Kimberley created all the artwork on Kofifernweh - all I had to do is send the files to a vinyl sticker printer. Oh, and build the van!

But there’s one question that photographers still can’t answer and I’ll leave you to ponder it…

If lenses are round, why are photos rectangular?

Much love

Dave